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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425300">I'm Always Here For You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starry_Eyed_Writer/pseuds/Starry_Eyed_Writer'>Starry_Eyed_Writer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bleeding, Corrupted Steven Universe, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I had this sitting in my archives, I wrote it 2 months ago based on the corrupted Steven theory, Old theory headcannons, Shattered Glass, all happens to reader, and I liked where it was going so now Im posting it, and a bit more, reader gets hurt, stay safe !!, trigger warning, tw: broken bones</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:33:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,785</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425300</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starry_Eyed_Writer/pseuds/Starry_Eyed_Writer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steven is falling apart, and you're there to help. But he can't control his outbursts.</p><p>(Please read the notes at the beginning!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steven Universe/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I'm Always Here For You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is an old fic based off the corrupted Steven theory. Trigger warning for this, as the reader gets hurt a lot !! Read the tags to see what you should look out for.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Steven! Wait, please!” you shout after him as he runs off, but he keeps going.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>What’s even worse, is that as he runs off, he’s on all fours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oh god, what has happened to him? One moment, you’re relaxing on the boardwalk, and the next your phone is showing only a warped message of Steven. It’s just him repeating “help Steven! help Steven!” over and over again. But he didn’t look quite right, you couldn’t tell if those horns were fake or real. So of course, you worried, and ran over to the temple as fast as you could.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nobody was downstairs, but once you opened the door you called out, “Steven!? Are you here?” you shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A crash comes from upstairs. That’s a yes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You rush up them, hesitant, but ready if anything comes at you. Once you make it to the top though, Stevens room is trashed, but there’s a lump under the blanket on his bed. It’s shaking, and you immediately knew what it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>So you reach out, and rest your hand on the shaking form. Once you do, he stops, and stays still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you ok?” you ask.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He doesn’t respond, just stays perfectly still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“...Steven?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You pull back the blanket, just a little, and peak underneath. But there’s a dotted purple figure underneath, staring at you with one pink eye, and one black one. You gasp and stumble back. That’s not...is that..is that Steven?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as you stumble back, you trip on a dirty shirt on the floor, and end up landing on a broken bowl. Some loose ceramic cuts into your leg and you hiss. But through you clutching your leg and trying to process what happened, Steven pops up from under his blanket.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks concerned, worried even. But that doesn’t keep your attention long, as his full appearance is finally shown. He looks...</span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Dots of purple and pink are spread along his skin, and it almost reminds you of mold. Sharp horns are coming out of his head and jaw. His hair is a mess, his clothes are torn, and his eyes are sunken. And that’s when you finally notice his eyes in detail. One eye is completely normal pink that it usually is. But the other is a full bright magenta, but what was usually white, is now black. And his pupils; are diamonds.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y/n?” his voice is </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>Steven’s.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At least not fully. It honestly sounds like multiple voices speaking at once, and Steven is only one of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven? What..what </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened </span>
  </em>
  <span>to you!?” you back up again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The second you do, he backs up. Instantly he looks hurt and terrified. And that makes you regret your tone and actions. You may not know what’s going on, but one thing is clear; and that is Steven needs your help. So you try to get up, but that ceramic in your thigh makes it clear you shouldn’t move. You whine, and that makes Steven panic again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait no! Steven, you didn’t hurt me, I’m fine. Please, calm down.” you keep your tone calm, despite your hands shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That actually makes Steven focus on you, he’s hyperventilating and eyes are looking everywhere in the room. So you stand, despite the pain. You keep your arms out as you limp over to where he shoved himself into the corner of his room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, lets calm down. Then you can tell me what happened.” you get close, trying to avoid stepping on anything on the floor as you limp.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But Steven looks you up and down, more specifically at your leg, then at your face. He looks so hurt. He grips the sides of his head and shakes it, groaning and shaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven? Please, tell me what’s wrong.” you try to reach out to cradle his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Stay away</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” he shouts, and shoves you aside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s not hard enough to hurt you, but it does make you stumble back and give him enough room to dart off and out to the balcony.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And that’s where you are now, watching him run along the beach and into town. You shout after him, asking him to stop, but he keeps going. There’s no way you’ll be able to keep up considering how you’re still limping. You start tearing up, a lump of just something nasty gets stuck in your throat. You’re about to head downstairs to see if you can find any of the gems but theres a little ‘bwrr?’ next to you on the balcony. You snap your head, and Lion has made his way up here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lion...Lion!” you gasp, reaching out to hug the large creature.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He quickly tries to back out of it and you apologize, but quickly get to the point.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lion, I know you don’t like me that much but I really need your help. Steven ran off and there’s way I could catch up to him.” you gesture to your hurt leg and how hard it is to move properly right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lion has never liked you much, and you couldn't place why. It might be because when you first saw him, you tried to run off because he’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>full lion</span>
  </em>
  <span> in Steven’s house. But over the years, he’s preferred Connie much more. Which is fine, but in this moment, you wish you had spent the time to spoil him and earn his trust.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looks at your leg, then back to you. And you never knew and animal could have such a skeptical expression.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please Lion, Steven needs us..” you reach out to his snout with a shaking hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He seems to get the message and turns, crouching so you have an easier time getting on. You smile, and quickly mount his back. Patting his side, you mumble, “Let’s find Steven.” and he summons a portal. Then, you’re off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finding Steven was actually a lot harder than you thought. Lion teleported to just about every spot you could think Steven would be. The arcade, the boardwalk, Little Homeschool, and more. But there’s not a trace of him. Lion is starting to get very tired from making portals left and right, and you feel guilty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know you’re tired, but just hang on a little longer.” you reach and give his head a little scratch, to which he makes a little ‘mrr’ sound.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He keeps walking, and you keep thinking. Ok, just think like how Steven would think right now. He definitely wouldn't go back to the temple, as the gems or you would be there. So that takes out his room and the garden. The lighthouse is out as well because that’s too close to the temple. He can’t go anywhere he like, so he must be so afraid and alone and-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You gasp, “He’s hiding where we’d never find him. Lion!” you reach up to peer into his view, “Head to where the old barn was. I think I know where he is!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He roars and runs to where you asked. It makes sense now, Steven wouldn't go where he’s comfortable because someone would find him there. He’s scared, he’s not thinking right, so he has to be one of the two places you would think of. Either by where the barn used to be, or...</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lion stopping cuts off your thoughts, and you look around to see the large hole where the barn used to be. You quickly step off, wincing as your leg hits the ground. You would take the pieces of ceramic out, but you can’t until you have something to wrap around it. The bleeding isn't bad, but the pain is getting worse.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven…” you whine. You really need to find him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You trip and fall near the edge of the large crater and see only water at the bottom. You groan and rub your hands on your face. Steven not being here was a thought, but you desperately hoped he would be. If he’s running on all fours, then he likely got far. You try so hard to swallow around the knot in your throat but it doesn't work and you end up gasping out a small sob. Lion pads up next to you and he nudges you up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“One last place buddy, I promise.” you say with a sniffle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lion crouches again, and you climb onto his back, “The Kindergarden.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>~~</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You teleport there, and once you make it, Lion collapses to the ground. You climb off, and give him a good pet as a show of appreciation, “Thank you Lion, stay here, I’ll go find Steven.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He just closes his eyes and falls asleep, and you make a mental note to buy him some Lion Lickers when you get back. Although you haven’t been to the Kindergarten often, you know Steven wouldn't wander far from where he knows. As the place is huge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You grunt as you have to move your leg, but you press forward anyway. It wont be long of a walk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It smells even worse here than you remember it being, and it’s so dim and grey compared to the land you were just at. It all makes you uneasy but it just helps confirm the thought that Steven would be here. It’s the perfect place to hide. You glance up at all the holes in the walls and gulp. It is the perfect place to hide.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, you recognize the hole Amethyst pointed out as hers at some point. You gasp, he has to be here. And sure enough, you hear something hit the ground with a thud, looking at the steep wall, Steven is trying to scale it but failing due to the fact his body is out of proportion.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven!” you shout, happy you finally found him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He snaps towards you and looks petrified. Beyond that, physically, he looks even worse than before. His eyes are both pure black with a magenta center, both sets of horns have grown larger and some have shown up on his back and arms. His legs are no longer human, instead reminding you of the way a cat or a dog with the bend it has in the middle. His clothes are torn and getting worse, and the purple you saw before covers most of his skin now. A pinky tan are the only spots now. And you realize why he's having such a hard time climbing, because his hands and feet have become twice as large as a normal human. And sharp claws on his fingers and toes make him look downright terrifying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He instantly tries to run off and you panic, the last time he ran you begged him to stop but he just kept going. Shouting is no use so you’re going to have to chase. The second you try to run, your leg cries out in agony so you hiss. Stumbling as you gain back your balance and continue running.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven, please! Don’t go!” you shout, despite the fact you know it would do almost nothing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You’re only running for a few seconds and your leg gives out. You fall to the dirt with a loud grunt. Looking at your leg, you see the bleeding has gotten worse and soaked most of your outfit. But even worse, a large claw shape dug into the ground caught your leg and now your ankle feels sprained. It’s funny really, you’ve been trained to be an excellent fighter and pieces of a bowl and a hole in the ground nearly put you out of the fight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You touch your ankle and whine. When you try to stand back up, you notice the sound of running no longer there. It’s quiet. So you look up and Steven is staring back at you, hesitant. Of course, he wants to help you, like he always does.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m ok!” you shout, managing to sit up instead of laying flat, “Just please, stay with me.” you say as you attempt to stand again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stays still, yet, he looks like he wants to keep running as far away from you as he can.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t go Steven! Please, talk to me. I know it seems hard but you can tell me anything, it’s just me.” you plead.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The last thing you need is for him to start running again, if he does, you’ll never find him. So even if he doesn’t stay still, he’ll at least be close by. You manage to stand and keep all your weight on your good leg. Once you’re sure that you wont fall again, you open your arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s just me, Steven.” you smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He seems to relax a bit, and takes the smallest step towards you. It’s then that a roar comes out from next to you followed by a pink light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y/n! What happened!? Lion came and-</span>
  <em>
    <span>Steven</span>
  </em>
  <span>?!” Pearl shouts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You snap your head over and see Pearl, Garnet, and Amethyst all hop off of Lion’s back. Oh no. Although their help could probably be useful, Steven was only inclined to come to you because you were alone. Now, it’s the three people in the world he never speaks his personal problems to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys? Please, go away! I can handle this!” you shout, making them all look at you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that, dude. Your leg isn’t looking too hot.” Amethyst rushes over to you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You have to stop her, “Stay back, please! You’ll scare him.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Scare him?” Garnet asks from behind you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That reminds you to focus back on Steven, and he is even further away from the last you looked at him. He’s fighting so hard.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s Steven! And he’s terrified right now, all he wants to do is run, but I’m talking to him.” you say loud enough for the gems behind you to hear because you’re not looking back now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What happened?!” Amethyst asks.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, I found him like this.” you take a step towards him, and he steps back, “And he doesn’t want anyone near him. But I’m going to help him no matter what.” you say with earnest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You’re speaking to Steven at this point, and even though the gems are still asking you questions, you tune them out to focus on what’s important. You can </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>let him run. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Steven, I know you’re so scared right now, but I promise, I’m always here for you.” you take slow steps forward, dragging one foot in the dirt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Y/n! Let me-” Pearl is almost right behind you now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Stay away!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Steven shouts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pearl, please, let me handle this.” you whisper, tilting your head just a bit so she can hear you. You still haven’t taken your eyes off Steven.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven, it’s just me. You can talk to me, I’ll listen. Just please, stay here.” you plead again.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You get close enough that you’re only a few feet away. You could practically cry with how much progress you made. But despite how close Steven let you get, he still looks like he’s going climb the nearest wall to get away from everyone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“If you only want me, that’s ok, but you have to tell us.” you keep your voice just loud enough for him to hear, hands shaking from the adrenaline rushing through your body right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You can practically touch him now, “Steven, please let us help you!” Pearl yells again. Oh, you love her a lot, but right now you could honestly turn around and fight her. Her over-worrying is going to make Steven panic, so you just keep your ground and keep reaching out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He starts hyperventilating again, looking between you and the gems behind you.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Only Y/n!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he yells.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You would be flattered if this wasn't the situation at hand. But you can hear a torn gasp behind you. “Steven, we’re here to help you!” Amethyst shouts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“All of us!” Garnet finishes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just tell us what’s wrong and we’ll do whatever we can!” Pearl yells again, she sounds closer than before.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Guys, stop!” you yell.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Steven looks at you as if you spoke to him, and that breaks your heart a little. He looks so broken on what to do next. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Focus on me.” you’re about to cup his face but he takes several steps back.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>No…</span>
  </em>
  <span>” he clutches his head and keeps backing up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Steven!” all of the gems shout.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please…” you plead to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He whines, sounding pained and clutches his head even tighter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I said, </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>STAY AWAY!</em>
  </b>
  <span>” a pink field of energy comes out of him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>You’ve never seen that come from Steven. And before you can react, the wave hits you and you’re blown back. You hear a snap then everything goes black.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>https://linktr.ee/starryheadache</p></blockquote></div></div>
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